


Hey, I Love You

by demonessryu



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonessryu/pseuds/demonessryu
Summary: Some confessions are well thought out and planned. These are not.
Relationships: Brian May/Roger Taylor
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was so busy stressing out about lack of work and writing to forget about stressing out about no work that I forgot to edit fics. This is one of the shortest that I have and can edit in like an hour, so. I like think of it as kind of a character study, since it's my take on how a surprise confession may be made and received by these two adorable fools. But, really it's just a silly idea that wouldn't leave my head some time ago.

“Hey,” Brian started. In front of him, Roger was pouring himself a glass of red, a burning cigarette between his fingers, a wide smile on his lips, and a self-satisfied glint in his eyes. He was talking about his latest song, one of his “best ones yet”s that cleverly weaved the current tides of social and political issues into upbeat music and light-hearted lyrics. He was so pleased with himself, with the intelligence and depth that for some reasons he insisted on hiding from most others. But, not from Brian. Never from Brian. This time, too, as many times before, the privilege he gave Brian made Brian’s chest and the heart beating within it full and warm. But, this time, unlike other times before when Brian forced himself not to think too much of it and kept silent, he gave a name to what he felt and a voice to his heart. Oblivious to this, Roger hummed to indicate that he was listening and Brian continued, “I love you.”

A few drops of wine stained the table as Roger’s hand faltered. He cursed, quickly put the bottle aside, and turned to Brian. “What?” he demanded loudly.

Brian blinked rapidly, a little surprised by the strong reaction. But, he supposed it was expected as the confession came about with absolutely no pretext and when did Roger _not_ react strongly to anything anyway? If he wanted a milder reaction, he should’ve gone for someone else – it wasn’t like he was lacking in choices. But, it was Roger and his unruliness when Brian was trying to keep his life organized that captured his attention. It was his unmasked temper that opposed Brian’s desperate attempt to control himself that drew him close. It was the way he pushed Brian out of his comfort zone and then stayed beside Brian throughout that won Brian’s heart. Brian had made his decision even before he was aware of it. He had decided on Roger and strong reactions were what he would get.

“I think you heard me,” Brian said quietly, reaching for his half empty glass of wine. He sipped the drink slowly and tried to ignore the sharp gaze Roger directed to him. His effort wasn’t entirely successful, though, and he wound up tapping the glass anxiously.

“You love me?” Roger asked, frowning deeply. He glanced at Brian’s now-empty glass of wine when he nodded in silent confirmation. “Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not. You’ve drunk more than I have.” Brian pointedly looked at the empty bottles near Roger. He had drunk his fair share of wine, too, tonight, but neither of them was lightweight drinker and Roger inhaled alcohol at much more rapid rate than he did.

“But, you’ve barely eaten,” Roger pointed out, observant as always. He waved his hand dismissively, “Anyway. You _love_ me? You love _me_?”

Self-consciousness started to creep into Brian. He fidgeted and put his glass down. “Yes,” he said nervously, wondering if he had made a mistake by speaking without thinking. He probably had, judging from the way Roger was staring at him incredulously. Brian swallowed thickly, wondering if it was too late to take it back or say it was a joke, if he had ruined a good friendship-the best friendship he had ever had just like that. “Um, I’ll get us some snacks.”

“What? Don’t you want to know what I think about it?” Roger asked loudly, sounding a little offended.

Brian paused, then slowly turned to him. He carefully studied Roger’s expression, utilizing his extensive knowledge of his friend to determine his thoughts. Roger looked mildly irritated, but Brian figured that was because he tried to escape the conversation rather than because of what had started the conversation in the first place. He seemed thoughtful, too, but it was actually a common expression, only usually hidden behind dark glasses or funny remarks and actions, though still obvious to those who knew him as well as Brian did. Otherwise, he only seemed shocked, which was an expected reaction to a surprise confession and didn’t necessarily forebode an end to years-old friendship. Brian heaved a quiet sigh of relief, relaxing under the sharp gaze. Maybe it was salvageable, after all, their friendship. Maybe Brian wouldn’t lose his best friend and band mate. This was a comforting thought. Even if he wouldn’t gain a lover, he would be perfectly happy to retain Roger as his good friend.

“I figure you’ll let me know,” he said quietly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roger demanded, scowling. He took a deep drag of his cigarette without taking his eyes off Brian. When he spoke again, his voice was kinder, but only slightly. “People usually take time to get to know each other before saying that, you know?”

Brian frowned – he couldn’t help himself. “I’ve known you for years-not as a boyfriend maybe, but I’ve known you for years.” They’d struggled together, worked together, traveled together. They’d shared dreams, possessions, and even beds. They’d seen each other in their best and worst, strongest and most vulnerable, happiest and saddest. That Brian didn’t know Roger in the capacity of a lover seemed inconsequential. He knew Roger and loved the person he knew. The realization and the confession might be sudden, but that didn’t make them any less true. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sure he was of what he felt. He loved Roger. There was no question and nothing strange about it.

Roger thought about this and then nodded. “They wait until a few dates at least. You haven’t brought me to a single one.”

“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Brian asked hesitantly after a lengthy pause, trying to guess what was going on in Roger’s mind.

Roger looked at Brian in consideration as he continued to smoke. Under the weight of his gaze, there was no way Brian could keep from fidgeting. Brian shifted from foot to foot while trying not to shy away from his friend. He tried and failed to not wonder how Roger would answer that question. Sometimes Roger would joke to defuse tension, distracting people until they forgot what the problem was in the first place. Brian usually let him, generally happy to avoid confrontation. But, this time Brian didn’t think he could let it go easily if Roger was to take his confession lightly or make fun of it. Rejection wouldn’t be nice, but to have his honest feelings mocked would be unbearably humiliating and devastating. It would be worse than heartbreak and Brian wasn’t sure he could recover from having his feelings so cruelly disregarded.

Eventually, Roger crushed his cigarette on a nearby ashtray. “Sure, I’ll go on a date with you,” he answered easily.

Brian blinked, then blinked again. “What?” he asked eloquently.

“I think you heard me,” Roger echoed his earlier words. He smirked, looking completely sure of himself, leaving Brian suddenly doubting himself. Roger had been right to be shocked. There had been no warning for Brian’s confession, no seduction in any form – they didn’t know each other as potential lovers. Did Roger know what he was agreeing to? Did he realize the possible consequences of agreeing to this? So many things could go wrong and Brian couldn’t be sure they could handle the fallout and remain standing side by side in the end.

“Are you sure?” Brian asked slowly.

“Well, it’s like what you said,” Roger said, shrugging, “I’ve known you for years. So, I don’t mind going on a date with you.”

“But…”

Roger rolled his eyes in exasperation. “It’s not like we’re getting married – we can’t legally anyway. We’re just going on a date. We’ll figure things out from there,” he interrupted.

Marriage hadn’t even crossed Brian’s mind. Marriage with _Roger_ wasn’t even a distant dream. The brief vision of domestic contentment Roger’s words inspired was both wonderful and frightening, sure to fill his dreams for some nights to come. Brian put it aside to dwell on later and focused on the more immediate concerns. “What if…” Brian started worriedly. What if Roger didn’t like what he found during the date? What if he decided there wouldn’t be any other date? What if he couldn’t and wouldn’t love Brian back? What if things worked out, then the public knew? What if things worked out for a while and then didn’t? What if… What if….

But, again, Roger interrupted him. “ _We’ll figure things out from there_ ,” he said pointedly. “For God’s sake it’s just a date.”

Dizzy from happiness and anxiety, Brian sat down, trying to take in what seemed to him to be Roger’s determination to go on a date with him. A date! With Brian! Roger was possibly a little drunk and didn’t think this through, but Brian was still excited, heart thrumming in his chest as he tried not to put too much hope in this development. It was a vain attempt. A date! With Roger! Marriage might be an impossibility he didn’t entertain yet, but the ideas of being closer to Roger than he already was, sharing sides of him he usually censored in front of friends, and being loved despite all his flaws, were impossible to not wish for.

After a while of being blissfully lost in the possibilities, Brian noticed the expectant look Roger directed to him. “What about dinner at the Ritz this weekend?” he proposed. There were still a couple of days before then, allowing Roger to change his mind if he wanted to. Brian desperately wished he didn’t want to.

Roger nodded. “Sounds good.” He waited for Brian to pour himself a celebratory/encouraging drink and take a sip before speaking again. “Just so you know, I don’t have sex on the first date.” He grinned widely when Brian tried to cough out the vineyard in his lungs.

Roger didn’t change his mind. He did go on a date with Brian that weekend and he did _not_ sleep with Brian after. But, on the ride home on their third date, at a red light, he turned to Brian and told him he loved him. This time Brian didn’t let doubt plague him and accepted the confession with a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roger's version of unexpected confession! I tried to make it about as long as the first chapter but had a bit too much fun in some bits. Anyway, I hope you like it!

“Hey,” Roger called out. On his lap was a magazine he had abandoned for a few minutes now in favor of watching Brian composing a song. He was singing indistinctly as his long fingers danced gracefully on the strings of his beloved guitar, completely absorbed in his work. Roger sat back to savor the familiar sight of him deep in concentration, his quiet lulling voice settling Roger’s inherent restlessness and replacing it with contentment. He loved Brian’s soothing voice and intelligent eyes, loved the dreamy look on Brian’s face when he composed and performed, loved how his music fit seamlessly into Roger’s seemingly without thought, loved that even without trying and despite regular fights they always sought each other out because no one could complement them like they did each other, and, as he had suddenly become aware of the past few minutes, loved Brian. It surprised him at first, but that initial reaction had started to fade away by the time he called Brian’s attention and completely disappeared when Brian almost immediately looked up from the Red Special to regard him with curious attentiveness. “I love you.”

Brian went very still, staring at Roger with wide disbelieving eyes. After a drawn-out moment of silence, Roger returned to his magazine, figuring that naturally Brian needed time to process what he had just said. He was never as impulsive as Roger was, thinking things through and then more, winding himself up unnecessarily. Roger felt sorry for him sometimes, but he also thought it was why they got on so well – Brian thought carefully for Roger and Roger took actions quickly for Brian. Not that either of them was incapable of thinking or acting on their own, but the extremes of the personality spectrum they were in allowed them to balance each other perfectly. They were _great_ companions and Roger knew they could be great lovers – if Brian wanted it, of course.

When Roger continued to ignore him, Brian hesitantly returned to his song. However, Roger noted a sense of distraction in the way he played his guitar. His fingers weren’t as agile as before, the melody slowing and often entirely stopping. Roger didn’t need to look up to know that Brian stole glances at him as he could feel the familiar weight of his gaze. But, Roger kept his silence, leaving Brian to his thoughts and only interrupting when he announced he would get them something to drink and eat. Brian nearly jumped out of his skin then and Roger finally took pity of him. He mentioned a latest finding in the field of astronomy that he read on today’s newspaper, something that was utterly meaningless to him but he filed away because he knew it would interest Brian. The topic rejuvenated Brian’s spirit and he started talking about the significance and potentials of the finding, encouraged by Roger’s nods and hums. Roger might not share his passion or understand what on earth he was talking about, but he liked the excited light in Brian’s eyes when he talked about the field he had abandoned in favor of Queen. It was still a dream for Brian and therefore a precious thing for Roger. When Brian had run out of things to say, he resumed writing his song, only this time he was more focused, excepting the few times he looked at Roger thoughtfully. Roger hid his smug grin behind his magazine, happy to have made Brian happy.

The song draft was eventually finished and Roger gave the feedbacks expected from him. The discussion was nothing out of ordinary. It was like Roger hadn’t said anything at all – they still argued and joked as usual, still disagreed loudly despite the disagreements being miniscule because they thought on parallel lines, still respected each other’s opinions like they were the most valuable views that could be given – but when they were done and Roger walked Brian to the door, the tension returned. Roger continued to say nothing, wanting to see what Brian made of it whenever he was ready. Roger could be patient if he wanted. He usually didn’t want to be, but he could be-he _would_ be many things for Brian. Not that he would tell Brian that, of course.

Expecting days of awkwardly stealing looks, Roger was pleasantly surprised when Brian turned to him mere steps away from the front door. “Did you mean it? What you said earlier?” he asked tentatively.

Roger didn’t try to pretend to not know what he was talking about. Whatever people said about him, he took love very seriously and he loved Brian deeply, fully, wholly. “Of course,” he confirmed, nodding without hesitation.

Brian looked taken aback. “You do realize I’m a man, right?”

Considering the number of times they had shared a changing room and seen each other in states of undress, Roger was very much aware of that fact. He tried not to roll his eyes. “Yeah. What about it?”

“Well, you’ve only ever been into women,” Brian stammered.

“Well, you’re the exception.”

“But, I’m…”

“You’re _you_. I know,” Roger interrupted before Brian spiraled deep into self-depreciation. It was a path Brian too often took, a path Roger always feared he would one day not be able to save him from. But, if Roger wasn’t always be able to rescue him from it, then he would at least never be the cause of Brian’s harsh self-criticism. He leaned his side against the wall as Brian floundered in front of him. This was a delicate topic and Brian was a sensitive man. Roger’s usual method of relentless pursuit of what he wanted shouldn’t be employed here, although he started to feel a little fidgety with impatience. “You’re a man and your ego matches mine. I love you anyway.”

“Then, why?”

Roger studied him closely, trying to find a way to express that Brian brought out the best in him, complemented him, made him strive to be a better man, made him happy, made him content, made him want to be the same for Brian. But words came to his mind in rapid fire, impossible to catch in voice or song or any gesture of affection. Roger supposed he could write it down, but he had a feeling it would be a book instead of a letter, and he wasn’t even a letter-writing man. “Why not?”

“I’m confused,” Brian said somewhat helplessly. “It honestly never occurred to me you could see me that way. Besides, we argue a lot-we get on very well, but we also argue a lot. Sometimes I even think you hate me.”

“I just realized I saw you that way, so of course you didn’t see it coming,” Roger admitted. He shrugged at Brian’s surprise and continued, “and I don’t hate you. Sometimes you annoy me- _really_ annoy me, but sometimes I annoy you, too.”

Brian opened and closed his mouth a few times, but then nodded. “You do annoy me at times, but I don’t hate you, either.” He stopped. The “ _whether I love you, however…_ ” was unsaid but understood.

“You don’t have to love me back. If you’re not into me in the slightest, that’s fine. We can still be friends,” Roger said when an uneasy silence stretched between them.

“Can we?” Brian asked uncertainly. “Not that I don’t love you – I don’t know that yet – but can we still be friends if I don’t?”

“Sure.” Roger replied easily. He had good track record in keeping former lovers as friends and even better track record in keeping friends. The fact that he and Brian had a shouting match on a semi-regular basis would make things a bit difficult, but the fact that they had come out of those shouting matches as friends indicated that it wasn’t impossible. “If we’re still friends after I sprayed your eyes with hairspray, I think we can be friends after you reject me, too!”

Brian laughed a little nervously, but seemed more relaxed. “I need to think about this.”

Roger nodded. “Take your time.”

They made plans to meet again and perfect the song before presenting it to Freddie and John. A few minutes later, Brian was gone. Roger didn’t wait to hear his car leaving the driveway before going to the living room to watch TV. With any other person, he would be anxious to charm and win them, proposing frequent meetings and making up telephone conversations, but Brian was someone who had seen and experienced the best and worst sides of him. Their plan to meet in a couple of days’ time seemed appropriate. Roger would make efforts, of course – he already planned on asking Brian’s opinions on some of his songs and requesting jamming sessions to spend time with him – but he gave Brian time and space he hadn’t always given others. While it would hurt to be rejected – it was never fun to be rejected – he could live with the very close friendship they had. He would be fine just knowing that even if Brian didn’t love him, he would still be someone Brian would confide to, turn to, depend on, work with, and argue with. The label of a boyfriend and the intimate privileges that came with it were unimportant compared with the connection they already had and would always have, whatever Brian felt for him. It would sting a bit and Roger might long for him from time to time, think of him wistfully every now and then, but he wouldn’t be unhappy – not too terribly anyway. He’d lived with worse pain. He could live with one more soothed by the loyal friendship of the man he loved. Roger slept easy that night, dreaming of nothing in particular.

At five in the morning, he was awoken by the god awful ringing of the phone at his bedside. Roger groaned and covered his ears with his pillows. But, the caller persisted, calling again when the first attempt was ignored. Cursing creatively, Roger finally picked up the phone. “What?” he snapped into the receiver.

“I love you, too,” Brian answered from across the town. “I’ve thought about it since I left your place and I know we argue a lot and we’ll get into trouble if people know, but I love you. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’ve captivated me from the start when we were barely friends. You still captivate me today when we _are_ friends. I like being with you, even when you’re being difficult and annoy me. You make me laugh. You make me angry. You confound me and make my life exciting and every day something to look forward to. Roger, I love you.”

Roger pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to be awake enough to rejoice. “And you have to tell me this at five in the morning?”

A pause. “Sorry.”

Roger rolled onto his back with a groan even as a smile started to spread on his face. “God. You and your insomnia. I don’t know why I love you so much.”

Later that day, they went on an apology lunch and Roger started to piece together why. Something about the way Brian looked at him throughout suggested that despite his insomnia-fueled speech, he was also only starting to understand. This would be a lifelong lesson with many arguments and disagreements, but Roger didn’t mind, not when he had his best friend and lover beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Roger's plan to seduce Brian on how he allegedly pursued Dom. Apparently, it was effective, so I stole it! Although I think the fact that he is Roger helped quite a bit. 
> 
> Stay safe! You can find me for a chat or anything on [tumblr](http://demonessryu.tumblr.com/) where my fanworks never show up on the proper tag(s).

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there will be a second part. It's not at all connected to this one but I think of it as an accompaniment to this, so I figure I should just add it as a second chapter. There, Roger is the confessor, so it's gonna be a riot (for me anyway. I hope you'll like it, too)!
> 
> Stay safe, stay at home if you can, stay informed. Feel free to talk to me on tumblr if you need company. For now I can still be found on [tumblr](http://demonessryu.tumblr.com/) where my fanworks never show up on the proper tag(s).


End file.
